


Unforgettable

by HedonistInk



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Amputation, M/M, Nurse Lance (Voltron), Shance Flower Exchange 2018, Soldier Shiro (Voltron), Wartime, Wartime Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-02
Updated: 2018-05-02
Packaged: 2019-04-30 23:59:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14508033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HedonistInk/pseuds/HedonistInk
Summary: Like a song of love that clings to me | How the thought of you does things to me | Never before | Has someone been more...Unforgettable.When Shiro showed up on Lance's ward, Lance didn't expect him to be anything other than just another patient. He never dreamed he would miss him so much when he left.





	Unforgettable

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there, Leandra! I was your gifter for the shance flower exchange! You asked for a prompt involving the flower forget-me-nots and this cute, cheesy little bit of heartstrings-tugging shance popped into my head. Forget-me-nots are an interesting flower because of all the different stories associated with their symbolism and meaning but the one common thread is that they speak of love and longing.

Well, Lance thought to himself as he gathered up his bags, coat tucked under his arm, this was it. As soon as he stepped off this ship, the war and all of his memories of it would officially be in the past. All of the things he'd done and the people he had helped would exist only as part of his past. 

A familiar face popped into Lance's mind and his hand moved down to his bag and to the compartment that held the hat he'd come to treasure. Briefly, he wondered how Shiro was doing, how he was adjusting to life back at home, to  _ civilian _ life. 

Lance forced the thought from his head, scrubbing over his face with one hand before gathering up his bags and heading for the ship's exit. What did it matter? It didn't matter how Shiro was doing. Yeah, sure, Lance really hoped the guy would go on to have a good life but it wasn't like he'd ever get to be part of that life. 

Shiro had said he didn't really have any solid ties to where he'd been living before he'd been deployed and Lance didn't even know what rehab center he'd been sent to or if he'd decided to go home afterwards. It had been nearly a year since Shiro had been sent home so he was probably out of rehab by now but… beyond that? Lance had no idea. 

Shiro was gone, just a dream, just a sweet memory that Lance could feel warm his heart sometimes when the sun kissed his lips like Shiro had, just that once. 

Lance just needed to accept that and move on. Well, now that he was home, at least, he could start going out to bars and clubs again and trying to meet people. He wondered how things had changed in the time he'd been away from home. Had things become more open for people like him? Had things become  _ less _ open? Was his favourite queer bar still in business or had they succumbed to the pressures of the wartime economy?

Lost in his head, Lance lost track of where he was going, stumbling as he stepped up onto the ramp down from the ship. Catching himself, Lance closed his eyes to try to ground himself, taking in the feeling of being  _ home _ for the first time in a long time. He breathed in the clean, fresh air, damp with the freshly fallen rain that still lingered in scattered puddles on the ground. 

It smelled like home.

Or, well, it smelled closer to home than he'd been in a long while. It was still an hour's train ride back to his home but Lance felt as though he was one of the lucky ones compared to some of the others disembarking around him. Many of them no doubt had a day or more of travel ahead of them still. 

Lance was home and Shiro was just a sweet memory in the middle of all of the chaos of war strewn through his head.

Opening his eyes again, Lance nodded to himself. He picked his bags up again before heading down the ramp. He knew there would be no one waiting for him—he hadn't bothered to tell his family  _ when _ he was coming home, just that he would be coming home  _ soon _ , not having wanted them to worry and get themselves into a fuss trying to all show up to welcome him home. He'd much prefer to just… get a train back to his town and get a cab to his parents' place. The ruckus was unavoidable, but at least it could be on his terms this way. That was what mattered. 

Maybe he could stay the night in a local hotel before going back home. He had a little bit of money in his pocket. Maybe a night on his own would help him to reset from the nagging feeling itching in the back of his mind that he needed to go check on his patients. There were no more patients to check on. At least, not until he found a new job locally. 

Lance's thoughts stopped in his tracks at brief glance of a tuft of familiar white hair in the crowd of people waiting for their friends and loved ones. But then the glimpse was gone and Lance let out a shaky breath, shaking his head and continuing down the ramp. No… He was just seeing things now. He was just going to reach the bottom of the ramp and head for the train station nearby. There was no way that Shiro could be… 

There it was again. A shock of white in a sea of blacks and browns and reds and blondes. 

This time, Lance stopped and turned towards the sight, moving through the crowd as best as he could while being jostled left and right by excited family reunions. Suddenly, the crowd opened up in front of him and Lance froze, heart punching into his throat to hammer against his adam's apple. 

"...Sh- Shiro…?" Lance asked, voice quiet and uncertain as he took a small, gentle step forward. 

There he stood, looking sharper than ever in his dress blues but still with the same gentle smile. The scar that slashed across the center of his face had started to fade to a more dull sort of pink, having lost much of its new scar shine. That made sense, it had been nearly a year since Lance had last seen Shiro's face. 

"You're… I don't… How are you  _ here? _ " Lance asked, flabbergasted. 

"Pulled a few strings, found out which ship you were being sent home on," Shiro explained with a small shrug and a slight smile. "Then it was just… a matter of getting here." 

"I… I don't understand. Why?"

"These are for you," Shiro said by way of an answer, offering out the bouquet of flowers in his hand. 

Lance hadn't even noticed those. How had he not noticed those? He was too busy staring at Shiro's face and feeling his brain melt. Fumbling with his full hands, Lance set down one suitcase before taking the bouquet of flowers. 

"Forget-me-nots…" Lance marveled softly, lifting the flowers to smell their sweet scent. "I… you remembered."

"Of course," Shiro chuckled, smile as warm as always. "You left these in the vase on my nightstand every day for months… I can't see them without thinking of you. I have to say, they've become a favourite."

"O-oh…" Lance breathed, looking between Shiro and the flowers before smelling the vibrant blossoms again. "I… I wasn't expecting that I'd see you again…" 

"...I know," Shiro agreed with a nod. "I just… I couldn't get you out of my head. I needed to see you again. I needed… I needed to tell you that I've spent almost a year thinking about that kiss and thinking about you and how your hands felt on my cheeks and… I really like you, Lance." 

"Shiro…" Lance breathed, clutching the flowers tighter as he searched for what to say. How could he convey that he felt the same without it sounding shallow? How could he tell Shiro that he hadn't stopped thinking about him for nearly a year? How could he say that he couldn't picture his future with anyone else so  _ vividly _ as he had with Shiro? 

Shiro beat him to the punch, speaking up. "Do you— I mean— Is there anywhere you have to be right away? I… was hoping I could take you to lunch…"

Lunch. Lunch like a  _ date. _ "I'd love that. There's no one. I mean— I don't have to— I mean… I didn't even tell my family I was getting in today," Lance admitted. "I was sort of figuring I'd stay a night around here to get my head on straight before I went home. 

"Oh. Well… If… you're not in a hurry to meet anyone… There's a really cute diner around the corner from my hotel…?" Shiro offered. "And… if… you might be interested, there's… a king size bed in my hotel room?" 

Lance swore he saw the man's cheeks tinting pink even as he felt his own burning. "...I'd love that," Lance replied, clutching the flowers to his chest. "Think you can carry one of my bags?" 

"Hey, I still have one good arm," Shiro replied with a soft chuckle, grabbing the suitcase and leading the way away from the port and into town. 

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [twitter](http://twitter.com/hedonistink) or [tumblr!](http://hedonistink.tumblr.com/) As always, comments and kudos are treasured and appreciated!


End file.
